Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-07-01
Respectfully.
WASHINGTON, D. c., June "a, 1888
LANIER DUNN.

NeNA-S
My Dear Mr.. Dunn-You ask me to state the
facts to you in regard TO the late Mrs. Mumford.
1 have not made any public statement about
the matter, because I didn't care to bring her
name into prominence, and expose her to vul-
gar curiosity during her life. Her husband, q
man of some prominence among his class, in
cited mob and tore down the United States
flag from the Mint of the United States after
the surrender of the city of New Orleans The
flag was torn into shreds and portions of it
were worn at the buttonhole as trophy by
himself and his associates The facts being
made known to me, he was arrested, brought
before military commission for trial, and
that commission found him guilty and repor-
ted him and his action to me, as commanding
general. After much thought upon the sub
ject, I deemed it was for the best interests of
the people of the United States, and especial
ly of Louisiana, that an example should be
made of him specially, because his act came
very near bringing bombardment upon the
city by the fleet, because tearing down the
flag was signal that the city had assumed to
consider itself unsurrendere1 and desired to
open hostilities. I therefore orde red his exc
cution on the Mint at the place where he had
torn down the flag. which was done.
Shortly before his execution, Mrs. Num-
ford called upon me to intecede for his life. /
told her that my decision was irrevocable.
She was Northern lady by birth. I told her
further that I regretted the effect of my &C
tion upon herself and family, and that if in
the hereafter I could do anything to alleviate
her great misfortune, she might call upon me
as a friend. The best thing she could do for
her husband then, was to go to her husband
and assure him that his sentence was irrevo
cable, and would give her an order to be
admitted to his presence, to stay with him as
long as she liked, up to the time of his exc
cution; and directed my orderly to take her
and her children in my carriage to the place
of his confinement. This was in the summer of
'62. Long afterwards, Il should say in 49, I
received letter from a lady acquaintance of
mine in the North saying that she knew Mrs.
Mumford, who was in distress and she told
her had promised to befriend her when I
could, and asked me if would allow Mrs.
Mumford to see me at Washington. I an
ford, if she desired.
few days after, Mrs. Mumford called on
me, and in answer to my question how she was
getting on, she gave me the following nara
ton: That soon after her husbands death
subscription had been made in the South for
her and her chi1dran,c benafit of considerable
sums of money, but as it was Confederate
money, it had not been much benefit. That
a considerable portion, or all of it, had been
placed in the hands of trustee, a clergyman,
I think, who had bought for her some land in
Wytheville, Va, and had built house
thereon, but which hadn't been quite
finished; There was a carpenters lien
on her house, and it was about to be
closed upon that carpenters lien, and she
would lose it unless she could get money
enough to pay the carpenter. I told her I
would look into the matter and if she would
call a couple of days afterward, would tell
her what I could do for her. telegraphed
to gentleman in Virginia, who had charge of
some property of mine, and asked him
to go and investigate Mrs Mum
ford's matters at Wytheville and to pay what
ever was necessary to save her house. He
went and Immediately telegraphed me how
matters stood and that the carpenters lien
was something like $50, which he had adius
ted and charged to my account. Mrs. Mum
ford called and told her what had been done
and she was very grateful.
then said to her, show are you to liye?n
She said all she had to live upon was what
she and her children could earn or raise from
the land, of which there was a cry few acres.
sBut, !" said, show are your children to be
educated them" She said she didn't know.
''Welr' said, "you never can get on in that
way. 1 will see if anything else can be done
for you, and if you will call on me in two or
three days, will see what can be done" T
further said, Madam you have been very
profuse in your thanks to me, will you do me
the favor tot put what you say to me, in writing
in the form of little note. am going out
now, and you can write it here at my table, |
and leave it for me, and as you say you are !!
stopping at Alexandria with friend, if you
will call tomorrow or next day, Twill tell |
you whether I can do anything more for you.'
On my return I found her note, very well |
written and well composed, showing that she
was a lady of education. What I wanted of |
the note was that it should be a sort of civil